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Sunday, October 4, 2015

Edible Packaging: Are Consumers Ready?

Imagine walking into a grocery store where everything is wrapped in edible skins, with no other packaging. You would be able to eat your ice cream or protein bar right off the shelf, its package or wrapper included! Think biodegradable skins and shells like those of fruits (coconuts, bananas, apples, etc.). Would you be afraid of germs? Would it make you nervous to eat the package, as well as the food product within, wondering what this “edible” package is comprised of? While edible packaging innovations are on the rise, countless uncertainties prevent consumers from being willing to give these new products a try. Yet edible packaging may provide more
sustainable products and a way to help the environment and limit landfill waste
from packaging. Advances in food packaging technology could make food storage
and preparation simpler, meanwhile curbing food and packaging waste, and
reducing the leaching of chemicals from packaging into food. It doesn’t make
sense that a food item consumed within minutes or seconds leaves behind a piece
of packaging that lasts for years in Earth’s landfills. While
edible packaging may seem like a novel idea, it isn’t. In nature and the world
around us, all sorts of produce come in their own protective skin. Potato skins
are a delicacy, and lemon peels are both a water-repelling protective layer for
the fruit and an aromatic and flavorful addition to baked goods and savory
dishes. Other manmade foods also utilize the concept of an edible wrapper –
sausages, mochi (Japanese ice cream in a soft, glutinous rice shell), and
caramel candies filled with a soft center, among others. Up until the 20th
century, most wrappers and films for packaging food items were biologically
derived and many were edible. For example, yuba (soymilk skin) has been
traditionally used in Asian countries since the 15th century. It
wasn’t until the 20th century, when petroleum-derived chemicals
replaced biologically derived resources, that we switched over to other
packaging materials, such as plastic. The push to go back to bio-based
packaging materials will utilize sources that are annually renewable. Edible
packaging, films, and coatings can be made from carbohydrates, fats, or
proteins, depending on their uses. There are five categories in edible food
packaging innovation: food wrapped in food, food paired with an edible/biodegradable
container, a cup or container to be eaten with its beverage, packaging that
disappears, and edible packaging served at quick-service restaurants. 1) Food wrapped in food Stonyfield
Farm, Inc. was one of the first companies to sell a product with edible
packaging in stores. In 2014, they launched a frozen yogurt novelty item called
WikiPearls™. These small, single-serve spheres contain a Stonyfield frozen
yogurt center encased with an edible gel skin. The skin was developed by
Harvard scientist David Edwards at “Le Laboratoire”, a lab in Paris, and
Edwards founded his company, WikiFoods, in 2012 to commercialize the edible
packaging innovation. The collaboration between Stonyfield and WikiFoods was
the first to bring this novelty to market. Edwards describes his inspiration
for the gel skin (called WikiCells) as coming from nature itself. Made of algae
and calcium, WikiPearls are like a grape – wrapped in its own protective skin,
and can be handled without melting and washed like a piece of fruit. They are
like the human skin, reproducing the natural barrier that keeps everything
inside the body. These edible food wrappers have no flavor, eliminate the need
for plastic spoons or wrappers, and can be rinsed and eaten whole or, when
peeled off and thrown away, will quickly break down. The flavor of the skins
can be modified to complement what’s contained inside; for instance, the frozen
yogurt pearls come in sweet flavors like banana-chocolate and
strawberry-chocolate.

Stonyfield
currently sells their frozen yogurt pearls in select Whole Foods either in
pre-packed bags made from wood fiber (shown above), or over the counter at
Wikibars (in Boston and Paris) where customers place the pearls in their own
bags, egg cartons, or packaging. Stonyfield’s eventual goal of eliminating packaging for premade foods is still
far-off. Their vision of one day having these individually packaged items sold
in bulk bins, like granola or fruit, with consumers shopping with their own
Tupperware or reusable bags is a utopian approach that retailers and shoppers
aren’t ready for yet. So
the question lies with food scientists, food companies, and retailers – how do
we make products with edible packaging more feasible to sell, in addition to
having the extended shelf life products packaged in plastic have? If grocery
stores aren’t ready to sell these products package-free, what’s next? Food
scientists continue to work at refining edible packaging to a point where it
works as well as plastic. In addition, it takes a shift in consumer perspective
to view items, such as the frozen yogurt pearls, more like fruit or baked
goods, where shoppers don’t think twice about skipping the plastic bag.
Shoppers don’t mind buying apples or bagels directly from a bulk bin at the
supermarket, but buying from a display of frozen yogurt balls with edible skins
is an entirely different experience that will take time for consumers to
overcome the mental barrier. In the meantime, WikiFoods is working at
partnerships with other companies and continues to innovate with further
applications, such as refrigerated foods like cheese, or liquid foods like
soups, juices, water, and coffee. Addition of natural antimicrobial agents, such
as grape seed and green tea extracts, to the edible films/packages is also
being researched to target concerns about hygiene and bacteria.

2) Food paired with an edible/biodegradable
container

The
Swedish company, Tomorrow Machine, is developing a series of packages that have
the same life span as the food they contain. An “oil package”, made of
caramelized sugar coated with wax, is cracked open like an egg to release the
oil. The “smoothie package is composed of agar, a seaweed-based gel, and water,
and withers away as you drink the smoothie. The “rice package” is made of
beeswax and is peeled open like a fruit to get to the dry ingredients inside,
such as grains or flour. All of these containers are both edible and
biodegradable. While not yet available commercially, these packages are a
sensible innovation that may launch after additional market research; once more
consumers are ready for the development. 3) A cup or container to be eaten with its beverage

Multiple
companies are joining the new trend in edible packaging innovations. Loliware,
a US start-up company, launched a biodegradable and edible cup in early 2014,
after an inspiring creation at a Jell-O competition in 2010. Their cups looks
like glass, but taste like flavored Jell-O or candy. Loliware cups are made
using agar from seaweed, along with other ingredients like sugar, tapioca
starch, vegan gelatin, and natural flavors and colors. The main hurdle is the
cost, as with many start-up businesses. As of September 2015, 4 cups cost $18
USD. Over time, brand campaigns and intrigued consumers may aid in greater
availability and purchases of the edible cups. Fun flavors, like Madagascar
vanilla, pink grapefruit, and matcha green tea, make the cups more exciting for
parties and cocktails, where it’s all about a new drinking and eating
experience. While it may be difficult for this product to become a mainstream,
everyday item, it has potential as an indulgent item for special events –
flavorful, high in sugar and calories, and giving the “wow” effect. Other
innovations include a product named “Ooho!”, which is an edible “water ball”
designed to replace plastic water bottles. Its appearance looks like a
jellyfish, and it is designed to replicate natural membranes like that of an
egg yolk. After drinking the water, the outer layer (made using brown algae and
calcium chloride) can be eaten or thrown away because it’s biodegradable. 4) Packaging that disappears

Monosol
has launched a version of their water-soluble film (also used for Tide
detergent tablets) as a polymer pouch that’s both edible and dissolvable. This
pouch is a blend of food ingredients that is transparent, has no smell or
taste, and completely disintegrates in water (cold or hot), leaving the food
ready-to-eat. The company is also marketing the product to professional
kitchens as a way to pre-measure ingredients and ensure consistency. The idea
is similar to gel-caps used for pharmaceutical pills – consumers just have to
get accustomed to the fact that the pouch is not plastic – it’s food. These
films are currently used for items like single-serve instant coffee that brews
when dropped into a cup of hot water, and single-serve cereal and oatmeal. 5) Edible packaging served at quick-service restaurants Earlier
this year (2015) KFC launched edible coffee cups in the U.K. made of cookie and
white chocolate, and wrapped in sugar paper. While these cups may have given
the “wow” factor and minimized use of paper cups, was it really a good idea?
What about the extra cost and materials used to make the cookie? Is it safe to
hold hot coffee, and will consumers even eat the cookie cup due to the extra
calories? While innovative, the edible cups didn’t last long. Here
in the U.S., Coolhaus (an ice cream truck company) got its start with one truck
in Los Angeles in 2008, and now has multiple trucks in Los Angeles, New York
City, Austin, TX, and Miami, FL. Its distinction among other ice cream
companies is its packaging – made of potato starch, their edible wrappers hold each
ice cream sandwich, serving as both a wrapper and napkin. They also have the
ability to print custom logos directly onto the wrapper using vegetable inks,
which are perfect for special occasions and parties. In
Brazil, a fast-food chain called Bob’s, serves their burgers wrapped in edible
paper. It provides a solution for customers not wanting to unwrap their
hamburger before eating it, works as a napkin for a less-messy eating
experience, and reduces paper waste. At
point-of-service restaurants, like the Wikibars or the last three quick-serve
restaurants mentioned, consumers are more open to edible wrappers or packaging,
as the item is prepared at the restaurant and eaten quickly after purchase.
However, supermarket and pre-packaged items, such as the WikiPearls and Ooho!
water pouches, are not as easily accepted. While consumers may not be ready for
edible wrappers or skins for the outermost packaging, what about packaging
inside other packaging? Like gum wrappers, individual servings of chips or
snacks that come inside a larger bag, cereal inside a box, etc.? This may serve
as a primary avenue to establish the use of edible packaging in the
marketplace. Edwards, founder of WikiCells, hypothesizes that once consumers
start craving these items with edible skins or wrappers, ultimately shoppers
just want a good dessert or food item. In time, as more foods launch with
edible packaging, consumers’ views on edible packaging may change. It just
takes a step at a time. Wasting less food and packaging, and minimizing waste
going to landfills, definitely seems to be an idea worth pursuing, allowing
time to overcome the consumer challenges it may face.